Dangerous distraction: An examination of accidents and incidents involving pilot distraction in Australia between 1997 and 2004

Summary

An examination of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's
aviation occurrence database indicates that distraction has
contributed to a number of aviation safety accidents and incidents.
The purpose of this study was to (i) examine the characteristics of
pilot distraction (ii) explore the range of distraction sources
that have contributed to aviation safety occurrences, and (iii)
develop a taxonomy of pilot distraction. In total, 325 occurrences
were identified using the database. The results showed that the
majority of occurrences were incidents rather than accidents or
serious incidents. Distraction affected all operational groups and
occurred during all phases of flight, including both ground and
in-flight phases. Although most occurrences did not result in
injuries, there were two accidents in which fatal injuries were
sustained by the pilot-in-command. Many sources of pilot
distraction were associated with equipment malfunctions, problems
communicating on the radio, passengers, and weather. The sources of
distraction provided the basis for the development of a taxonomy of
pilot distraction. When applied to the dataset, the results
indicated that the majority of distraction sources could be grouped
into the categories of 'flight management tasks', 'external
objects', and 'people on board the aircraft'. In summary, the
findings suggested that distractions can affect a pilot operating
in any type of organisation, from small regional operations to
large commercial airlines. Distractions can arise unexpectedly,
during periods of high or low workload, or during any phase of the
flight. The report concludes with a number of tentative suggestions
for minimising the risk of pilot distraction.